


when the stage curtain falls

by strayember



Series: ice & dirt [2]
Category: Red Queen Series - Victoria Aveyard
Genre: Alternate Canon, Canon Rewrite, Confessions, F/M, I trust you, I’m not allowed to tell you, TRUST NO ONE, Vulnerability, aching and yearning, im mad she didn’t let them kiss again in the book so i did it myself, making out at the theatre, she’ll ruin us, yes it is the theatre kiss scene, you’re the best of all of us
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-18 13:21:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28867707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strayember/pseuds/strayember
Summary: Feelings between the royal couple are finally acted upon, but the realization that their relationship may not last creeps up on a conflicted Maven Calore.
Relationships: Mare Barrow/Maven Calore
Series: ice & dirt [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2214552
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	when the stage curtain falls

**Author's Note:**

> ok there’s no smut but it’s semi-steamy, enjoy i guess :0

The Prince and Princess of Norta sidle up next to one another— eyes glued to a wooden stage decorated with shimmering gold. The Scarlet Guard chose this place, and yet, they are nowhere to be seen. Lord knows when they’ll make their (unnecessarily) dramatic appearance; and both Mare Barrow & Maven Calore cannot afford to be caught, or to miss this opportunity.

As the theatre darkens, Maven wraps an arm around Mare’s shoulders, pulling her close. Her head leans into the crook of his neck almost naturally. She can feel his heart in his ribcage, pounding. He’s never done this before and it shows, though she has no experience either. Romance is a new concept, full of questions and firsts.

Maven’s eyes glance back for a second, a small frown settling on his lips at the sight of the nosy guard behind the door. Ah, yes. Hugging isn’t really enough to merit privacy. He falters for a second, not knowing if he’s prepared for what he’s going to do next. 

“Don’t disturb us.” He commands, like a king, almost. His free hand settles underneath Mare’s chin. Her dark eyes are wide, but not afraid. Not repulsed. Maven can’t help but smile a bit, his fingers brushing stray hairs away from her painted cheeks. He despises this silver paste. What he would give to see her in all of her natural glory. He fears that after this week, he may never have the opportunity.

The kiss is forced on both ends. It’s a bit awkward, definitely embarrassing, but it’s enough to get the door behind them to click shut. Mare pulls away first, barely. Maven’s face is still just mere inches away. His cheeks and ears flushed with a dark and scattered iron-blush. It juxtaposes his sharp, semi-intimidating features. He looks a bit boyish now. Like the kind of boy that would never notice her.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what, Maven?”

His eyes glance down at her lips. They’re like budding roses. Perfectly pink and plump. Despite the mask she is forced to don, her lips are a taste of the true Mare Barrow. Not Titanos. Barrow.

“I didn’t mean to force myself onto you.” He whispers, adam’s apple throbbing ever so slightly as he gulps down his cravings. 

“Well… it was just to get them to close the door, right?”

“Mhm.” He hums.

A twinge of disappointment settles in Mare’s stomach. Though, she doesn’t know why it’s there. Perhaps, she had hoped that their kiss on the ship had meant something more than adrenaline and fear. Perhaps she had hoped this kiss was more than just an act. But it’s foolish to hope. They sit here, surrounded by velvet, and yet— they are, practically, the actors on stage. 

A few minutes pass and there’s still no sight of the Scarlet Guard. There’s just a tense silence and the echoes of voices coming from the stage. Mare does her best to watch, but she can feel Maven’s eyes boring into her. Those eyes, those blue flames, they burn into her skin; her eyes lock with his numerous times, and before she knows it, the overwhelming force between them is luring the two back into each other’s arms. 

“The door is closed, Maven.” Her fingers linger on his shoulders. Tempting, in a way. 

“I know, Mare.”

“We don’t have to do this.”

“I know, Mare.” His lips brush against hers for one fleeting second. 

And then the world collapses around them.

Sparks fly and embers sink. It’s a lazily-controlled passion on the verge of going too far for their own good. Maven has never felt so high in his life. It’s an unmatched euphoria. His mind is empty, completely consumed by her taste— which has begun to linger on his tongue. Mare’s skin is that of paper, crumbling underneath his touch. His fingers are mindful, cautious. They tangle in her curly hair, tease her collarbones, and bring her closer to him. Like he intends on swallowing her whole.

At times, she touches his jaw and feels a buzz— a current of electricity that jolts the pair with the realization that this isn’t a dream nor a vivid fantasy. She allows herself to be pulled in, she wants to be swept up by his vicious current. She wants to reach deep into Maven and settle underneath his skin. She tugs at the dark hair that grows at the nape of his neck, she lets her palms press gently against the sides of his throat, and her fingers draw circles on the fabrics of his decorated shirt. Oh, the elegant clothes of royalty. Too complicated, too prideful. 

They pull away after, what seems like, years. Eyes still lingering. Their brains are clouded with the feeling of dependence. God, to kiss someone with every ounce of your heart after repressing that yearning for so long. It’s relieving.

“What do we do now?” She asks, grinning lazily. 

He laughs genuinely, wholeheartedly. His eyes glint with mischief.

“Not like that. You know that’s not what I meant.” Mare rolls her eyes, but leans in regardless. They’re centimeters apart, now. Mare can’t help but wonder how many shades of gray could come to exist on Maven’s neck. Would he wear those marks with pride? “You know, Cal cornered me earlier.” 

Maven’s lips purse, and if it hadn’t been for her hand on his neck, he would’ve pulled away. 

“And?” He forces himself to ask.

“It seems I’ve been saved.”

His grin could light all of Norta. Mare is seized with the urge to kiss him again. And she does. 

She can feel his smile against her lips, and it takes everything within her to not let this sweet moment become one corrupted by need. 

“I told you I would.” His voice is, oddly, rough as he leans back into his seat. It sends chills down her spine. Good ones. His hand takes hers slowly, but without hesitance. In response, Mare interlaces their fingers. Slowly and without hesitation.

“Something on your mind?” He asks, genuinely. 

“A few things, actually.”

“Me too.”

There it is again. That goddamn stillness. That nothingness that means everything and more. They just sit there, hand in hand, chest pressed against chest, with swollen lips, beating hearts, and warm faces. 

“I wish I could tell you everything.” He suddenly blurts out.

“Maven?”

“I wish I could look at you and know for sure that, come tomorrow morning, you’ll still proudly call yourself mine.” His voice is thick, aching. There’s a damaged nerve that Mare hadn’t noticed before. “But you won’t. Not after all this. No matter how hard I try. I’ll lose you.”

“No… No, Maven. You won’t ever lose me.” She attempts to reassure him, but it comes out sounding like a lie.

He shakes his head in response, closing his eyes. He looks guilty, afraid. Like he’s at a confession booth and is too ashamed to face the Father. Too disgraced to be in the presence of God.

“I know how much this matters to you. This cause. This fight for your peoople. And it matters to my father, to my mother, and to my brother. For all the wrong reasons.”

“Maven, please-”

“I’m not allowed to tell you.” He presses his forehead against hers, face tense with pain. She doesn’t know why. She doesn’t know why he’s talking like this, why he’s crying silently underneath her touch. Like a poor sinner who knows he is so, so far away from the pearl-white gates. “She won’t let me. She’ll ruin me. Ruin us.”

“Who are you talking about, Maven?”

“You know who.”

And she does.

“Whatever happens… you need to promise me you’ll understand.” He’s urgent now. “Even if you despise me, if you come to hate me with everything you have, if I lose myself, if-if I become someone unrecognizable… you need to remember that I tried to warn you. I tried. I tried. And I hope you succeed, I hope all this ends before the reckoning comes. I hope I find myself strong enough to join you, save you. I wish I knew how to do better. I wish I could remember a time when I was good.”

Mare’s hands move on their own, choosing to softly sooth his messy hair. His barely audible declarations completely shatter her heart. She doesn’t know how long he’s been bottling it all up or how much he has yet to release, but she knows to take the words to heart. It scares her, truly. His open secrecy, his hatred for himself, his faith in her. How can he have so much hope for her, when she has all of hers in him?

She doesn’t make an attempt to talk. She simply sits and holds him. He’s silent now, but he cries out all the same. Has no one bothered to attend to his woes until now? Has no one taken the time to make sure that the Little Prince was okay?

How long has it been since someone has embraced Maven Calore and meant it when they said:

“You’re as good as they come, Maven.”

“No…”

“You’re the best of all of us.” And she utters those words with her entire being.

Hope is stomped out and relit. Love is extinguished and set aflame. Promises wither and spark again and again. Trust no one, they say. But she truly trusts him.

**Author's Note:**

> damn y’all thought this shit wasn’t gonna get sad, huh??


End file.
